New Chris Sawyer interview

[Darkvater]

we all know alphagamma is a huge fanboy of CS that even refuses to see any shortcomings of the game.

About CS, indeed he claims to be a 'community man', but tell me this? Have we ever, in these 10 years seen a single patch to TTD/TTDLX? No, not a single one. Even for RCT there have only been 1-2 and that's it. I think my biggest trouble with LoMo is that it will NEVER get fixed. Better to be harsh on it now then to wait in vain for a patch that will never arrive

[alphagamma]

His posts certainly have one thing in common: CS obsession. 20 of his 53 posts contain the name chris.

you've got a pretty bad case of OCD if you went back and counted that.

i guess counting the number of times he said "chris" and being a 'nozzle is a lot more fun than playing locomotion for ya?

There is a search function on this forum

[alphagamma]

we all know alphagamma is a huge fanboy of CS that even refuses to see any shortcomings of the game.

Don't turn things round, I see the shortcomings, but I still have a lot of fun with them and if they are fixed I'll have even more fun.
You don't want to see the improvements that's the problem.

I'm not a fan of CS I'm a fan of all his transport games and all the mods that have been made for it, including OpenTTD if that is what you want to hear.

[siu238X]

Im starting to wonder if hes a retard who plays barbie adventure in his big pink bedroom.

This is probably the most retarded thing I've ever heard

[Darkvater]

I'm not a fan of CS I'm a fan of all his transport games and all the mods that have been made for it, including OpenTTD if that is what you want to hear.

So basically you are a CS fan . It's always nice to hear people like OTTD, but that has not been my point. I might be a bit harsh on LoMo and perhaps scare off potential players...but to me it's a huge disappointment. The biggest problem has been waiting for it for 10 years and then just getting this. If I have never played any such sim before I think I might like LoMo

[DarkMatter]

you've got a pretty bad case of OCD if you went back and counted that.

It's called a 'search' button.

And oh, btw, that's not OCD; not even close.

[Pinkyoz]

... I might be a bit harsh on LoMo and perhaps scare off potential players...but to me it's a huge disappointment. The biggest problem has been waiting for it for 10 years and then just getting this. If I have never played any such sim before I think I might like LoMo

I can't blame you for your criticism of this game, there are some logical flaws that are completely astounding and I find it difficult to believe that any group of testers did not pick them up.

But we all seem to think (reviewers, CS fanboys, critics, enthusiasts and casuals alike) that there is a fundamentally good concept at the base of this game, the seed on an idea that is quite enjoyable, the complaints are all about execution from then on, and that’s all about CS. This is not a terrible game, but it may be the last one that will be made because of its flaws, someone has to turn this franchise around now if there interested in it's success.

That means, support the game (develop patches for gamplay errors, expansions to extend the gameplay life) and plan the sequel to not just build on the strengths, but mitigate and improve on the weaknesses.

Unfortunately, it will be up to the man himself to learn the lessons, don't be so single minded, work with the community (developers and players) and most importantly, learn from your mistakes and find a way to do it better next time.

PinkyOz

[Overlord1191]

... I might be a bit harsh on LoMo and perhaps scare off potential players...but to me it's a huge disappointment. The biggest problem has been waiting for it for 10 years and then just getting this. If I have never played any such sim before I think I might like LoMo

I can't blame you for your criticism of this game, there are some logical flaws that are completely astounding and I find it difficult to believe that any group of testers did not pick them up.

But we all seem to think (reviewers, CS fanboys, critics, enthusiasts and casuals alike) that there is a fundamentally good concept at the base of this game, the seed on an idea that is quite enjoyable, the complaints are all about execution from then on, and that’s all about CS. This is not a terrible game, but it may be the last one that will be made because of its flaws, someone has to turn this franchise around now if there interested in it's success.

That means, support the game (develop patches for gamplay errors, expansions to extend the gameplay life) and plan the sequel to not just build on the strengths, but mitigate and improve on the weaknesses.

Unfortunately, it will be up to the man himself to learn the lessons, don't be so single minded, work with the community (developers and players) and most importantly, learn from your mistakes and find a way to do it better next time.

PinkyOz

Unbelievable. So you're saying we should buy this game even though it's sub-standard, patch it to playability, and make our own expansions to extend the gameplay life? That's great if you're sitting at home 80+ hours a week with nothing better to do. But I paid good money for a game that shouldn't have the Atari Logo on it because anyone who playtested this should have fixed the half dozen critical flaws. I didn't buy the "idea"! I bought a game from a worldwide distributor with a name of a programmer I recognize on the cover hoping I was not going to waste my money.

I disagree with you 110%. Chris has single handedly messed up the franchise because he put out a game with no imput from the fan base.

It was said before but I'll say it again, thanks again to Blizzard for making the standard so good that the whole gaming industry can't compete. Now that is an incredible company. They play their own games daily, and it shows.

[tubechallenger]

http://www.homelanfed.com/index.php?id=26196

Some interesting answers.

Wow... brilliant interview, it has even more information than the other one in the forum. I must say, developer interviews have got to be the best things to read after a game. Just shows how much he enjoy's Transport Tycoon, Locomotion, and transport itself.

I just find it amazing... so much arguing above though...

[Fiden]

ugh, can you not accosiate the word retard with people with disabilities?

Sorry, I must have misinterpreted your grammar. Please tell us what you mean when you call someone a "retard" then.

[Pinkyoz]

I can't blame you for your criticism of this game, there are some logical flaws that are completely astounding and I find it difficult to believe that any group of testers did not pick them up.

But we all seem to think (reviewers, CS fanboys, critics, enthusiasts and casuals alike) that there is a fundamentally good concept at the base of this game, the seed on an idea that is quite enjoyable, the complaints are all about execution from then on, and that’s all about CS. This is not a terrible game, but it may be the last one that will be made because of its flaws, someone has to turn this franchise around now if there interested in it's success.

That means, support the game (develop patches for gamplay errors, expansions to extend the gameplay life) and plan the sequel to not just build on the strengths, but mitigate and improve on the weaknesses.

Unfortunately, it will be up to the man himself to learn the lessons, don't be so single minded, work with the community (developers and players) and most importantly, learn from your mistakes and find a way to do it better next time.

PinkyOz

Unbelievable. So you're saying we should buy this game even though it's sub-standard, patch it to playability, and make our own expansions to extend the gameplay life? That's great if you're sitting at home 80+ hours a week with nothing better to do. But I paid good money for a game that shouldn't have the Atari Logo on it because anyone who playtested this should have fixed the half dozen critical flaws. I didn't buy the "idea"! I bought a game from a worldwide distributor with a name of a programmer I recognize on the cover hoping I was not going to waste my money.

I disagree with you 110%. Chris has single handedly messed up the franchise because he put out a game with no imput from the fan base.

It was said before but I'll say it again, thanks again to Blizzard for making the standard so good that the whole gaming industry can't compete. Now that is an incredible company. They play their own games daily, and it shows.

No, No that’s not what I meant at all! Its a reflective statement on the franchise itself, not a pitch to buy locomotion because if we don't we may not get a sequel, that’s just plain ridiculous!

What I was trying to get across is that the game is not fundamentally flawed; that is the game is not so bad as to have no hope of resurrection due to the fact that the concept is just no fun. Which means that it could be saved if someone (Being the Developer, Chris Sawyer; or the Publisher, Atari) supports the game, publishing fixes for the gameplay troubles and/or releasing expansions. If anyone else wants to contribute that’s fine, but you really don't have to.

And from there on we agree; the ball is in CS's court, he has to learn the lessons now or face the prospect of finding no one who wants to publish or buy his next "Pride and Joy". Fortunately for us we don't have to buy ideas, and neither do developers. If the TT/Locomotion franchise is not around, then the field becomes a lot easier for other developers who do listen to communities and do support their games.

Don’t buy loco because you want to see an expansion or sequel. It will only encourage CS to be lazy because he knows he can get away with it. Buy locomotion if you like the game, regardless of its flaws, and for no other reason.

PinkyOz

[brianhed]

All I wanted was a good AI and a bigger limit on the amount of vehicles/stations that were allowed at one time....

After 10 years I am understandably disappointed.

I will react the same way if Halflife 2 ends up sucking....

He needs to realize his programming limitations and get an adequate team to address the games flaws. I would gladly pay $100 for a high quality product.

[alphagamma]

All I wanted was a good AI and a bigger limit on the amount of vehicles/stations that were allowed at one time....

After 10 years I am understandably disappointed.

I will react the same way if Halflife 2 ends up sucking....

He needs to realize his programming limitations and get an adequate team to address the games flaws. I would gladly pay $100 for a high quality product.

So you got what you asked and you are still complaining.

[Born Acorn]

ugh, can you not accosiate the word retard with people with disabilities?

Sorry, I must have misinterpreted your grammar. Please tell us what you mean when you call someone a "retard" then.

its a general insult.

[lcandy]

Dear god, anyone would have thought you guys had never bought a game that had flaws before! Sure, Locomotion has it's problems but I'm pleased with the £15 purchase.

However, in it's current state, there is no chance I will be playing this in 10 year's time unless the game is properly patched. Not only are there a few annoying bugs, but there are some glaring ommisions in general that make you ask, "why wasn't this included?". You sit there, then forget about the bugs because they are not that important and then start writing a list to put up on the forums.

It will go somthing like this:

• Why wasn't their much lengthier pieces of track to cut down on the constant clicking?
  Why does this new fleet of buses need replacing one at a time, with constant clicking?
  Why does the AI build such silly looking bridges all over the map, making it unplayable?
  Why wasn't their some form of repair/maintenence function, that would have added fun and stratagy to the game?

Ok, short list, but you get the idea. It's not the bugs, its the lack of some fairly important gameplay elements that many of us feel are very important to the continued playability of the game.

Locomotion should have been an uber game for most of us, but we didn't want every feature under the sun. This interview tell's me, Chris lost his passion for the game and was more relieved to have completed than anything. It tell's me he dosn't see a whole lot of problem with the game, which is a shame, because I think he's going to lose a lot of credit for Locomotion.

I think the critics are being too harsh, but I know they have some valid points. I will continue playing Locomotion until it dosn't become fun anymore, and will hope for an extensive patch that will add some elements to the game.

[Fiden]

ugh, can you not accosiate the word retard with people with disabilities?

Sorry, I must have misinterpreted your grammar. Please tell us what you mean when you call someone a "retard" then.

its a general insult.

Well, considering the dictionary definition of "retard":

Main Entry: re·tard
Function: noun
/'rE-"tärd/ often offensive : a retarded person; also : a person held to resemble a retarded person in behavior

it seems that I must be a victim of the English language in making that association. Since this is the "general" standard (considering the use of English language on this forum), I would assume that the majority of the other users would make my, supposedly, inaccurate association. So, my initial statement regarding your choice of insult does, in fact, appear to be valid.

[John]

I would assume that the majority of the other users would make my, supposedly, inaccurate association. So, my initial statement regarding your choice of insult does, in fact, appear to be valid.

nope, im afraid i think most people will use Born's definition

these conversations always break out into arguements, kinda annoying.

theres the die-hard chris sawyer fans who think everything he makes is perfect and has no flaws and cant be critisized...(and call others 'loco bashers')

vs those that have got to used to ttdpatch and where expecting the 'perfect' sequal, where everything worked really well.
bearing in mind that ttdpatch ideas have come from about 10 years gameplay.....


also note a general trend: those new to the forum, who maybe havent been keeping uptodate are die-hard fans.
and those used to ttdpatch are dissapointed.

(YES, i know there are exceptions (eg Born Acorn, amongst others). why cant people just post their opinion in a topic with out getting slagged of? i was just pointing out the EXTREME cases...)


and can we try and stay on topic, what has the gameplay got to do with the interview, (but then again, what does this post have to do with the interview) so i cant really complain.

[brianhed]

All I wanted was a good AI and a bigger limit on the amount of vehicles/stations that were allowed at one time....

So you got what you asked and you are still complaining.

Alpha, I see your persistent optimism but think your kinda putting up a one-sided defense for Locomotion. Its almost like everyone is wrong about complaining and they should be happy with the scraps that were thrown to them...

The AI is not adequate and I haven't been able to test the number of stations/vehicles cuz its just to damn tedious to build them!

[Fiden]

Im starting to wonder if hes a retard who plays barbie adventure in his big pink bedroom.

nope, im afraid i think most people will use Born's definition

I just think these types of statements are completely inappropriate for the discussion. I don't think they serve any purpose other than to either propagate the problem further (via retaliation), or force someone to stop partaking in the discussion.

I'll just leave it at that. I should probably just ignore them in the first place.

[fsdave]

Flame Wars!!!!

Pack it in. Grow up. Go play loco or go dont play it.